Chapter 52

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Chapter 52: Farewell Party in the Hangar

From the very beginning, Lin Mo spoke in simple and direct terms, without any embellishment. As a soldier, every word and action should be straightforward, without the need for fancy language or convoluted expressions.

Considering Lin Mo’s conversation and mental resilience, Commander Ma gave him a perfect score. No wonder Colonel Jiang had chosen Lin Mo to cooperate with the "Night" team. Commander Ma thought to himself that the folks in "Night" certainly had good judgment—they had discovered a gem from their base. Every pilot at this base had been rigorously selected and was destined to become an ace pilot.

“I heard you’ve been learning about aircraft structure and repairs in your spare time, right? You often pick up discarded parts to practice disassembling and reassembling. It’s great to see a young man with such enthusiasm! Keep it up; you have a bright future ahead!”

“I’m just interested in this area, so I’m lending a hand!” Lin Mo replied, showing some shyness, though he wiped a cold sweat from his brow. Despite his reputation as the "scrap king," he discreetly concealed the secret of how he fed a gold giant dragon with stolen scrap metal from another world. He didn’t want to delve further into this topic with Commander Ma, who was a seasoned veteran with much experience; speaking too much could lead to trouble, which was the strategy he had maintained since entering the office.

"However, the operational tasks for ‘Night’ carry considerable risk, with live ammunition, and there is a possibility of casualties. If you’re truly ready, go find Colonel Jiang later, and he will guide you on the handover,” Commander Ma continued, his words following a conventional script. Everyone knew that the air force is not only a high-technology arm but also a high-risk one, with even non-combat settings having casualty indicators.

Lin Mo smiled and stood at attention to salute Commander Ma, saying, “Thank you for your concern, Commander. Soldiers shouldn’t fear death; if you are afraid of dying, you shouldn’t be a soldier!” With that, he stood up, saluted again, and left the office.

“Good luck, young man!” Commander Ma couldn’t help but clench his fists as he watched Lin Mo’s back, seeing a reflection of his younger self.

“Your destination is the ‘Night’ Special Operations Team, directly overseen by Captain Jiang Qin. ‘Night’ has previously lacked strong air support, and your outstanding previous performance fits perfectly. You also have some knowledge of aircraft maintenance, having studied maintenance techniques in the base. I checked with Chen Haiqing and Wang, the mechanics, and they both praised your strong learning ability and solid foundation, which means ‘Night’ can save a lot of trouble by having you on board. The base leadership has agreed, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be deployed in every mission. You’ll have enough time to acclimate to them. However, you’ll need to take on multiple responsibilities related to flying and maintenance. Remember, you are representing our base, so don’t tarnish our reputation in your new environment. You’ll learn the details when you arrive,” Colonel Jiang said, summarizing the task for Lin Mo. Due to confidentiality regulations, he couldn’t disclose too much but did inform Lin Mo about the reporting procedure and granted him three days to prepare.

“Understood!” Lin Mo nodded. He was moving again, and this time it was truly to engage in battle. Deep down, he felt a surge of excitement.

Chen Haiqing somehow got wind of Lin Mo’s transfer but didn’t know the specifics. He gathered a stash of peanuts and various military canned foods from the soldiers’ convenience store and snuck some Red Star Erguotou and Shaoxing Huangjiu from the cooking team to send Lin Mo off.

Life’s four great ties—sharing a roof, carrying a gun together, climbing walls together, and sharing spoils together—though Lin Mo was not the most outgoing nor the most introverted person, he was easy to talk to and had a gentle temperament. Such a person could quickly integrate into any group, no matter where he was.

Despite the winter chill and the biting mountain air, the farewell feast for Lin Mo was set up in a small hangar. They pulled down the doors, blocking outside noise. Many equipment boxes of various sizes served as tables and chairs, and dozens of people gathered, all fellow pilots and good friends.

In a tightly guarded base, this small gathering didn’t escape the leaders’ attention, though everyone turned a blind eye.

The food may not have been abundant, and it might not even be enough for everyone, but the sincere feelings from comrades hit hard. Although they had only been together for about six months, from the moment Lin Mo stepped onto the base, he could trust his comrades with his back. That kind of trust was not easily formed in a society driven by greed.

“Let’s raise a glass to Lin Mo’s rise!” A natural organizer began banging on a large enamel mug, shouting loudly.

“Promotion and wealth!” everyone echoed. The crisp metallic sounds of the green enamel cups filled the space; everyone knew that as long as they didn’t make mistakes, transferring anywhere meant opportunities for achievements and promotions.

“Where, where! It’s just a lateral transfer!” Lin Mo blushed at their enthusiastic cheers, the strong smell of 45-degree Red Star Erguotou making him wince. He had never encountered such strong liquor in another world.

“Cheers…” No one acknowledged him; they shouted directly.

There was plenty of Erguotou and Huangjiu. Everyone lifted their mugs without anyone monitoring them, and in one gulp, they downed it all. Lin Mo blinked in disbelief. Was a group of wine gods reincarnated? He had no choice but to play along, forcing down half a jug of liquor.

The Huangjiu was lower in alcohol content and slightly sweet, but it hit hard. Many Northeastern men, used to treating strong alcohol like water, also ended up getting caught off guard.

“Lin Mo, we won’t ask where you’re going, but remember to come back often!” Lei Dong, a fellow dorm-mate from flight school, stood up and raised his glass towards Lin Mo.

“I certainly will! I’ll fly back!” Lin Mo downed his drink, a burst of heat surging from his belly, causing him to sweat lightly. He clinked glasses with Lei Dong, a young man from Qinhuangdao who usually enjoyed soda but surprised everyone when it came to drinking. His half-jug of liquor didn’t seem any less than Lin Mo’s.

“Safe travels!” Another comrade stood up, intent on getting Lin Mo drunk.

“Hey, hey, hey… What are you saying? It’s not like he’s being executed! Is there such talk?” Lei Dong’s bronze face flushed darker, but his mind was quick; he immediately realized there was something off with the wording.

“That’s right, that’s right! What East said is correct, so safe travels!” the comrade quickly corrected himself.

“If the plane is flying with the wind, then can it still take off?!” Just like that, someone pointed out another mistake.

“Ugh… then, um, what should I say?!” The comrade, flustered and red-faced from being corrected, didn’t know how to respond.

“Be strong… and more sincere!” a comrade with a Sichuan accent, after downing a few drinks, spoke slurred, unsure if he was expressing himself correctly.

Seeing the chaotic drinking scene, Chen Haiqing jumped in like a firefighter. “Peace! Peace is a blessing!” Nothing is more reliable than safety.

With Chen Haiqing leading the way, everyone clapped the table and shouted, “Peace! Cheers…”

Though a few couldn’t hold their liquor, everyone upheld their drinking etiquette, and with forceful clinks, they raised their glasses in a collective toast.

In just a couple of rounds, a quarter of the stolen liquor had vanished.

“Thank you! Thank you…” Lin Mo stood up, saluting each comrade present.

And everyone stood up to toast to Lin Mo. This is what brotherhood means; this is true human warmth. The military is a melting pot—no matter how much junk you throw in, it will turn into good steel. The pure feelings among men exploded in the hangar. There were endless words of respect, envy, encouragement, and congratulations showered upon Lin Mo. No matter how muddled the expressions became after the drinks, every word held meaning, even if not everything was intended to be said; the buzz gave everyone the courage to voice it all.

When the two boxes of Erguotou and three boxes of Huangjiu were finished, everyone slumped down.

On the table were opened cans of luncheon meat, braised pork, anchovies, and canned peaches, but no one had touched a single bite.

It seemed no one would be getting up before dawn.

The price of this drinking spree was steep; they all woke up the next day with pounding headaches, only to find that the hangar had been heated by two large oil heaters at some point, keeping it warm. The head of the cooking team gleefully pushed in a large pot of soup and remarked, “Woken up, have we? Come, come, drink some hangover soup!”

Everyone quickly expressed their gratitude, praising the considerate cooking team leader.

The next moment, the cooking team leader dropped a bombshell that made this group of pilots freeze in fear. “Let’s settle the bill. Hmm, two boxes of Erguotou and three and a half bottles, totaling 27 and a half bottles; Shaoxing premium wine plus cooking wine, three boxes totaling 36 bottles. If we calculate the Erguotou at 100 yuan per bottle and the cooking wine at 80 yuan, the grand total is 5,630 yuan. The hangover soup is on the house, rounding it down to 5,600 yuan. Thank you for your patronage; who’s going to settle the bill?”

“No way! Erguotou sells for only a few dozen yuan in supermarkets, and cooking wine is even cheaper! Are you trying to rob us?” Someone snapped back, realizing the outrageous quotation.

“Hmph!” The cooking team leader’s words dripped with menace. “Who took my stock without asking? This is the price, take it or leave it. No excuses; if you don’t pay up, be careful, or I’ll withhold food from you for three days, and I have some bitter beans to share for free!”

The cooking team leader’s casual tone was just as chilling as the nearly freezing wind outside, and everyone turned pale with fear.